General Pang Fa, the Chairman of the Shan State Progress
Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) has indicated that the SSPP/SSA is
willing to facilitate negotiations between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army
(TNLA) and Shan people in northern Shan State.

Speaking at the SSPP/SSA headquarters in Wanhai on
Tuesday during a meeting with civilians and monks, General Pang
Fa, said that he will speak to the TNLA leadership to help solve problems that
have occurred in the area.

“Right
now, the TNLA and the government's military are going to hold a discussion,”
said Gen. Pang Fa whose group did not sign on to the Nationwide Ceasefire
Agreement (NCA) with the government last year and has continued to clash with
Burma's military. “The Restoration Council of Shan State [the Shan State Army
south who signed the NCA with the government] will also have to talk with
them,” he added.

“Even
though there has been fighting between us and the Burma army for 50 to 60 years
we can find the way for negotiations. But, why the Shan and Ta’ang cannot, we
live on the same land so we can talk to each other,” he explained. “Our enemy
is laughing when they see us fighting each other”.

“We
have to think deeply about who created this problem. Don’t just look at it on
the surface.”

“What
the Burma army has been doing is holding water in one hand and fire in the
other,” Gen. Pang Fa explained. “This means they do not really want peace.”

Fighting between the Burma army and ethnic armed groups in northern Shan
State has caused thousands of people to flee their homes. Many of the refugees
are currently sheltering in refugee camps in northern Shan State.